I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

... a pair of U2 tickets.

How can tickets get sold out in less than ten minutes? How is even possible???

U2 tickets went on sale this morning. They first announced two shows: a Tuesday and Thursday in May. What sucks is that I have classes those days in May. So I took a chance and decided not to get any, waiting to see if they'd announce another date. And they did! For a Saturday night, which would have been perfect. So I jumped at the chance... tickets went on sale at 10:15, and I was on there at 10:15. I was in the waiting room for like five minutes, and when I got through, they were sold out already. Already! I understand that the tickets are in very high demand, but how is it possible that all of these people got through before me, got tickets, leaving me with nothing? It doesn't make any sense.

Ah well, I'll live.

I did manage to get a pair of Red Sox tickets yesterday, for a game in August against the White Sox. And great seats too... loge box, behind the Red Sox dugout.

Now I need to work on a case write-up for my boring technology class. The case we have to write up is even more boring than the class, if that was possible. But it'll get done one way or another...

A good day.

Today's a good day at work. Why?

• Class was cancelled last night (due to the additional snow we got), so I feel refreshed today.
• It's Thursday, and my boss doesn't come in on Thursdays.
• It's quiet.
• There's not a lot of work to be done.
• I got some reading done for next week's classes.
• I took a long lunch, and grabbed some Pad Thai from Chinatown.

Good stuff.

Why can't work be this relaxing all of the time?

Where ya been?

My boss has no sense of humor.

I came in at 9:40 this morning. Late, I know. But everyone will be coming in late all week, due to all of the snow and the traffic. When I got in, there was an e-mail from A, my boss:

"Where ya been?"

I figured she'd have an idea, so I responded:

"I'll give you one guess..."

And she responds:

"I'm not in a guessing mood!"

I tried to make light of the situation, and she didn't even bite. I then I had to explain, and she never even responded.

I haven't had a lot of problems with her lately, but her true colors still come out every once in awhile. I've thought about looking for another job many times over the past few years, but I guess it just comes down to me being comfortable here right now, and that this place is near school. I will look around a little and repost my resume on Monster.com, so we'll see what happens. But I keep telling myself, when I get my MBA, I am so outta here.

Let it snow, let it snow... about TWO FEET.

It snowed, and snowed, and snowed, and snowed, etc...

First off, I survived my Saturday class. It wasn't too bad. It was a leadership class, and it was pretty interesting. But when class ended, the snow blizzard had begun. It took me forever to get home by subway and bus (with a pitstop thrown in to get some Chinese food). But when we woke up on Sunday, it was still snowing! We did get about two feet of snow, and Melissa and I spent a good hour shoveling the driveway and the stairs. We enjoyed our snow day inside all day, watching football, making a good dinner, having great sex, and throwing in some school reading (not necessarily in that order).

Speaking of football, the Patriots kicked ass again! They beat the Steelers 41-27. This was a Steelers team that won 15 games in a row, and rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger had not lost a game in his NFL career, until yesterday. So now the Super Bowl, in two weeks, will be the Patriots against the Eagles, in Jacksonville. Should be a good game.

I did make it into work today, but it's really quiet, and both my bosses are out today. It's been a nice quiet day so far!

On a very special episode of "Grad School"...

... Joe and the gang had a presentation to do in their technology class, and it was only the third week of class! The gang prepared for the presentation by e-mail only, so you can imagine the hijinks and misunderstandings that followed!

The professor then waited until the end of class to let us make our presentation. By that time, the gang was all pretty tired and delirious. But somehow, they made it through it ok!

The lesson learned: anytime you have a chance to earn bonus class participation points for going first, do it.

On next week's episode:

Joe has a Saturday class, which will last for four hours! Will he survive? Will he get out class before the big snow storm hits? Stay tuned to find out!

Where's the keg?

Yesterday Melissa and I went to my friend from school BG to watch the Pats-Colts game. Others from school were there - L, BG, S, D. We had a good time there, but it was definitely a major college atmosphere. And I mean undergrad. I just found out that BG is 24, and I knew that D was 24. BG and his two guy roommates lives on Comm Ave, which is basically where a lot of the college kids in Boston live. There was a major college vibe - alcohol everywhere, Playboy bartender book being passed around, girls from upstairs coming down to hang out and drink, talk of playing quarters. But BG is 24, and his roommates are probably around the same age, so I'll give them that. When I was 24, I was moving into my own place in Brooklyn with a South Park poster in my bedroom and a cardboard box for a table.

But we sat there, ate some burgers, drank a little, and watched the Pats completely destroy Manning and the Colts. As good as Manning was and the Colts offense was all season, they scored three points. THREE POINTS. A measly field goal. And the Pats won 20-3. So now they play Pittsburgh next week, and with the way Pitt played against the Jets, the Pats are looking really good now.

Today's MLK Jr. Day, and I'm at work. Does that make me a bad person? This company should have given this day as a regular holiday. Don't you think?

My name is Joe... and I'm not an alcoholic.

Hi Joe!

Tonight I went to my first AA meeting. My friend C has been in the program for one year now, so tonight was a special night for him there. It was actually pretty cool there... hearing people's stories, how everyone knows each other, how there's a special bond between everyone because everyone there has basically been through the same problems. And everyone there smokes and drinks Dunkin' Donuts coffee. It was pretty emotional, though.

So how do I follow going to AA? Going to a party tomorrow to drink. BG, my friend from school, is throwing a Pats-Colts party (they're playing each other tomorrow at 4 PM). Should be fun... a bunch of people from school with be there. What sucks, though, is that the Jets lost to the Steelers today, 20-17, in OT. They had TWO chances to win at the end of regulation, but Doug Brien missed two field goals. Just what I expected... the Jets blowing it when it counted the most. So I guess I'll be rooting for the Pats the rest of the way. And these are good people, so it'll be fun. I've really gotten to know my friends from school lately, and it's nice to have some more friends again. I had friends in high school, but I don't talk to many of them anymore (well, only H, and only sporatically). I made some friends in college, but I didn't keep in touch with any of those. I had a bunch of friends from camp, and I do keep in touch with Jack, who was a camper of mine and who I converted to the Pearl Jam religion. And JB, who I get in touch with at times. Then there was Ralph, my best friend, and he's gone. Before going back to school, all of my friends these days were Melissa's friends. So now I have some more friends that I have stuff in common (we're all going for our MBAs and we take the same classes). There's BG, who's really funny, and there's L, who I've gotten to know more recently and is just as wacky as anyone. There's S, J, D and BS. Good people.

We also now have to present part of a case in our technology class on Wednesday. So we'll have to find some time to stop bullshitting and procrastinating and get some real work done. I also have some homework to do, and I'm more than halfway done with it, but I have to pound out the rest and be done with it!

The new neighbors are cool!

I'm excited. We met up with them last night, and they seem so nice and normal. The funniest thing is that I recognized the girl immediately from the express bus I take to and from work every day. I usually see the same people on the bus all the time, and I thought to myself that it would have been funny if it was someone I recognized from the bus, and it was! Anyways, they are about our age (he's 29, she's 30). It'll be so much nicer to have normal people living downstairs, and not the Old.

Class tonight. Do I really have to go??

Aruba!

My last two days:

• I booked our ARUBA vacation!
• While booking it, I brought the laptop to where Melissa was reading in bed, and as I was sitting on the edge of the bed showing her what I was doing, I slipped and plopped right on my ass. At least the computer didn't break.
• After everyone telling me how great the show is, I finally watched "24" last night. And I really liked it. It makes you get so caught up in what is going on. I think I can sacrifice an hour of wrestling to watch "24" Mondays at 9.
• Our new dishwasher came. An hour and a half late. And cost me an extra 65 bucks because it needed "a part." Don't they always need "a part?"
• My credit card was suspended because I failed to pay my last bill that I never received in the mail. This was the first time this has ever happened, and they suspend it?
• Randy Johnson is officially on the Yankees. And to start his career in NY, he shoved a cameraman. Also, Carlos Beltran is officially a Met. He didn't shove anyone.
• Tonight we meet the new neighbors. I hope they're cool...

1.21 gigawatts!

How can "Back to the Future" be on television so many times? Not that I'm complaining... in fact, I'm watching it right now!

I have seen "Back to the Future" and "Back to the Future II" more than any movie ever. Whenever they show up on tv, I have to watch them. And for some reason, I never get sick of them.

I think "Napoleon Dynamite" is going to fall into that same category. Every quote from that movie is so damn funny.

Watched "Garden State" yesterday. It was pretty good... just not the incredible movie others have made it out to be.

And the Jets won! They beat the Chargers, 20-17 in OT. The Jets really should have won at the end of regulation, but as SD's quarterback Drew Brees was throwing an incompletion that would have ended the game, a Jet defender gave him a late hit to the head, giving the Chargers the penalty they needed, and let them tie up the game. But after the Charger kicker missed afield goal that kept the Jets alive, Doug Brien hit the game winning FG.

Obsessions.

Here's a couple of things that I am completely obsessed with these days:

The Family Guy (freakin' sweet!)
Napoleon Dynamite (sweet!)
Back to the Future (well, it's a lifelong obsession now)
The new Green Day, U2 and Jimmy Eat World CDs
eBay, looking for Old Timer's Day tickets for me and my dad

If you haven't seen Napoleon yet, go see it!! And make sure you don't miss "the wedding of the century" which appears after the credits.

It's Friday! A good thing! Melissa and I might go see "White Noise" this weekend. Melissa's obsessed these days with that electronic voice phenomena stuff. It is a little creepy and interesting. We actually think that my old friend Ralph is in our China cabinet since it randomly turns on and off sometimes. One time I was watching wrestling and Ralph's favorite wrestler, Ric Flair, came on, and the light went on. That's when I really felt it could be him.

Melissa and me.

Aren't we cute?

Idiots!

Me and my sweet friends.

Grad School - the sitcom of my life.

Starring:

The Flux Capacitor, aka "me, the hero." The hero of our show. Watch as he goes through the trials and tribulations of homework assignments, quizzes, case write-ups and group meetings.

BG, aka "the puker." Always loves a good game of quarters, but needs to watch out before it gets too dangerous for him. Thinks everything is "decent."

JC, aka "the ride, bride-to-be #1." Battles with condo builders, ex-roommates, co-workers.

SB, aka "the young one, bride-to-be #2." A secretive Yankee fan.

SM, aka "the brains." Helps groups not in his class with projects. Always smiling.

L, aka "the stamp, the newbie." Newcomer to the show. Known to show up in class still drunk, especially on a Saturday morning, with hand stamp still intact.

Professors W and G, aka "the professors." The villians of the show.

Guest starring:

Melissa, aka "the wife." Behind every good man is a great woman. Misses "the hero" when he's out on a school adventure, but doesn't get mad when he arrives home at 2 in the morning.

J and C, aka "the friends, the sober ones." Keeps things fun with a mean game of Uno.

Chillier and Prof. K, aka "the friends, the non-sober ones." Knows when a conversation needs the word "penis" in it, which is all of the time.

Red, aka "killer bunny, Bizzle." Leads "the hero" and "the wife" to weird underground gaming parties. Creator of the "Death Cone" horror movie series.


Watch all of the adventures from week to week as the semester unfolds. The tears, the laugher, the shocking revelations. Wednesday nights, from 5:20 to 9:25.

The flux capacitor... fluxing.

So now I'm a "blogger?" I suppose...

Just kicking off... I'll write more when I have some more time.

Peace out...